


The Ghosts of Christmas Past.

by modzy78



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Day 18 - Rin, F/M, Fruits Basket Advent Calendar, No Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27902962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modzy78/pseuds/modzy78
Summary: After Tohru leaves, Rin dreams about past Christmases.
Relationships: Sohma Hatsuharu/Sohma Rin
Kudos: 2
Collections: Fruits Basket Advent Calendar





	The Ghosts of Christmas Past.

**Author's Note:**

> This is set near the end of the second season of the anime, like most of my Advent works. It picks up right after Tohru leaves in their story.

Rin Sohma watched Tohru Honda leave Kazuma's house. She wondered if the girl was going to get a break today. Probably not, because she seemed focused on everyone except herself. Rin's eyes scanned the message Tohru wrote in her Christmas card. "Dear Isuzu-san, I hope this card finds you well. Have a very Merry Christmas! Lots of love, Tohru." She couldn't stop a small smile forming. It was such an awkward mixture of polite formality and cheerful friendliness. Perfectly Tohru. RIn wondered how in the world Tohru ended up as weird as she was. It was obvious that she had secrets hidden behind closed doors. Rin sighed. It seemed they all did. She leaned back and closed her eyes as exhaustion finally hit her, the Christmas card falling from her hand.

Rin danced around a snowy landscape. She was wearing a red dress trimmed with white lace, white stockings, and shiny black Mary Jane shoes. 'Oh, I'm dreaming. Crap.' She was very young in this dream. She heard laughter on either side of her and felt the pressure of hands grasping her red mittens. She smiled and looked up at the faces of her parents. They were strangely blurred, like she was looking through a pool of water. 'Maybe I'm drowning.' A high voice floated through the air.

"Isn't the snow beautiful? You seemed to enjoy running through it."

A low voice responded, "I think we've had a visitor while you were gone. Let's go in and find out."

Rin jumped in excitement and ran inside. A tree blazed with lights that dazzled her eyes. Her vision cleared to find a pile of presents. She gleefully opened the first one. It contained a doll with lovely brown hair. She hugged it. "Thank you! I'm so lucky Santa came! Christmas is the best!" She didn't notice that her parents' smiles didn't reach their eyes or that they didn't actually look directly at her.

The scene changed. 'Not this one! Not this one! Anything but this!' It was a year or two later. Rin was wearing the same dress, even though she had grown. It was much too short, tight on her torso, dirty, and torn. Rin had put it on in the vain hope of regaining some Christmas magic. The room was dark and bare. Tears stung Rin's eyes. A sound outside the door caused her to turn in a mixture of excitement and fear. Was it them? Would they be happy to see her this time? The door creaked open, their silhouettes backlit by the bright light. 'Noooo! I don't want to see them!'

Rin gasped and looked around. She was at Kagura's house, a piece of Christmas cake sitting in front of her. Kagura laughed and chatted with her mother about school. Rin picked at the cake, nibbling on the cream. It was too sweet. Cloying. Just like the atmosphere around her. 'Why am I here? I can't stand it.' She stood up and walked away, ignoring Kagura's calls to try some more food. She opened the door to her room.

Which turned into Kazuma's living room. He was smiling in the understanding way that both comforted and unnerved her. 'He's too much like Tohru. It's creepy in a way.'

"Isuzu-san, I hope you'll join us for some refreshments and presents." Kyo scowled at her as Kazuma spoke. 'I want to be here as much as you want me to be here.' But her feet shuffled into the room, and she settled tensely into a corner. 'It's so hard to say no to truly kind people. I've got to get better at that.'

A present appeared in her hand. She carefully unwrapped it. 'I can't make a mistake and tear it. I don't want him to be angry.' It was a scarf. Black. Practical. Unassuming. The tension drained from her shoulders as she nodded at Kazuma. He smiled and put a cup of tea in front of her. She took a sip as Kyo loudly asked about his present. Kunimitsu scolded him. Rin's shoulder's tensed until she realized that both he and Kazuma were laughing. 'Oh. They're teasing him. Can't blame them. Those three somehow make such a messed up family.'

She was in a bed in a white, sterile setting. 'Of course I was in the hospital at least one year.' Hatori was examining her. He nodded in satisfaction. "Your stomach ulcers seem to have recovered enough to be discharged." 'Where was I discharged to this time?' "Please try to eat something when you leave. You need some energy to fully recover." 'What's the point?'

She gathered her sparse belongings and strolled out the door. Haru was waiting for her, holding a triangle of konnyaku on a skewer. "Here. I thought you'd be hungry. Call it a Christmas gift." She gratefully took it, blowing on it before biting down.

It was the following Christmas. She was with Haru again. "So, it's Christmas."

Rin snorted, "Like I care." Her breath caught in her throat as she felt Haru's lips meet hers. 'How can someone like him have so much passion?' She responded hungrily to his kiss. 'Don't stop. Please don't stop.'

He pulled away from the with his blank expression. "Christmas is for lovers. So I thought you might care about that." Her body felt electrified as he reached for her again.

Her eyes shot open. She was back in Kazuma's house. Someone else was here. Her eyes darted around in a panic, resting on a pair of calm brown eyes. Haru. Her face reddened slightly. "I brought you some Christmas food. Oden." He held out the box as he entered the room. It appeared that the present Christmas was going to be better than any in the past.

**Author's Note:**

> I felt that Rin has some unresolved issues regarding Christmas that Tohru inadvertently brought out. She doesn't like to sleep because she's often haunted by dreams of the past. Most of the speech is actually her adult thoughts during the dream. I will be continuing this story with a later prompt.


End file.
